A Beast In the Fire
by bean21
Summary: "Now Lina!" she said suddenly, and Lina sprung, disappearing in the fire even as the rose and the tear hit it.
1. What Curdie Saw

A beast in the fire

Curdie wearily climbed the steep stairs, up to the highest room in the castle. He was looking for the Queen Irene, to ask her advice in a certain matter, assured that she would know what to do. Finally, he was getting closer! Suddenly, as he reached the last steps, he smelled the wonderful smell of roses. The old queen must have her rose fire burning! But why would she need it?

Curiosity roused, Curdie practically ran up the last few steps and opened the door without even knocking. He stopped suddenly on the threshold and looked in. There was the fire, red and white roses burning together, but the thing that stopped him was the fact that he was looking into the room where he himself had been burned by the rose fire. But that had been far away, and here was the same room before him!

There was the princess, or, rather, the queen, standing before the great fire, looking an old yet very strong woman. She held many roses, both red and white, and was dropping them one by one into the fire. As soon as they hit the flowers would burst into flame, giving off a fresh burst of fragrance.

There, behind the old queen, was Lina, that strange and hideous beast who had become such a wonderful friend to Curdie. The creature looked like she was ready to pounce into the fire at any moment. Her huge, thick tail wagged back and forth, dragging against the floor. Neither beast nor queen seemed to take any notice of Curdie, who was still standing in the doorway.

After a few moments Lina did look over at Curdie. She did not move, only stared intently into his eyes with her green ones, the yellow light in them blazing with something Curdie could not name. Anticipation? Excitement? Suddenly something in those eyes sent a shiver down Curdie's spine. It was as if he had, just for a moment, looked into the beast and seen something there inside Lina. It was as if he had been looking into a young woman's eyes. Then Lina's eyes seemed to smile at him and say _Thank you, Curdie_. With that she turned her gaze back towards the fire.

As soon as Lina looked away from Curdie the queen raised the last rose she held. It was a gorgeous red, so bright that it almost hurt Curdie's eyes to look at it. She looked at it, just for a moment, then let it fall from her hands, dropping towards the fire. With it there fell a single tear from the queen's eye. Queen Irene turned to the beast behind her even as the rose fell through the air.

"Now Lina!" she said suddenly, and Lina sprung, disappearing in the fire even as the rose and the tear hit it. A black smoke sprung up from the flowers along with a peculiar dust. Curdie squinted to see through it but could see nothing until it cleared. There lay all the roses, smoking a strange, pinkish and wonderful smelling smoke. Curdie almost expected to see a beautiful lady rise from the roses to stand by the old queen and then look at him with the same eyes Lina had just a few seconds ago. But there was no beautiful maiden, not even the hideous beast Curdie had called 'friend'; only the queen remained, looking intently at Curdie from the other side of the smoldering flowers.

"Come inside, Curdie," the queen said gently. Curdie did as he was told, not daring to disobey, but still staring at the roses, hoping, hoping...

"Shut the door." Again, he did as he was told. Then a sudden coldness seemed to grip his heart as a tear sprang to his eye. Could it be...

"Is she gone, my lady?" Curdie asked in a trembling voice, wanting nothing more than to hear the grand queen deny what he had asked. However, that would not come to pass.

"Yes, Curdie, she is." Two tears rolled down Curdie's young face as he gazed at the roses. Could it really be that she was gone?

"Do not weep for Lina, Curdie."

This command was so gentle that Curdie looked up at the queen, hoping to get some comfort from her face. When he looked up at her he saw no more the old lady who had thrown the roses onto the fire a moment before, though he knew she was indeed the same. Before him stood a young and beautiful woman, about 21 years of age by her looks, yet this change did not startle the young miner.

Struggling to hold back the flood of tears that threatened to spill out of his eyes he said softly:

"Lady, I would do anything you would ask of me, yet this command is one of the hardest you have given to me! Lina was one of my truest friends and bravest companions. You yourself shed a tear even as you dropped the last rose onto the fire into which she disappeared!"

"I wept for the pain I knew she would endure," the queen answered softly as she sat down. "But that pain is over, and we should not weep for our old friend, for she is happy now."

Curdie was silent for a moment, deep in thought, still struggling to hold back his tears.

"Do not weep for her," the queen said again. "And do not forget Curdie, this was your own wish."

"Lady!" Curdie cried, deeply hurt. "I have never once wished for her to be gone from me! At first, perhaps, I did not want her with me, but I did not wish her gone for I knew you sent her, and over time she became one of my greatest friends! How can you say I have wished her to be gone?"

"Did I say that, Curdie?" the queen asked, in a voice both gentle and reproving. "What did you tell Lina, that day long ago? You know what I am referring to."

Curdie bowed in shame, remembering in detail what he had said to Lina. "Yes, lady, I remember. I said _Oh, Lina! If the princess could but burn you in her fire of roses!"_

Queen Irene nodded her head without saying anything, but after a slight pause she remarked softly: "And now I have done just that, Curdie. Lina can be happy now."

"I think I will find it hard to be really happy without her," Curdie answered softly. After a pause he ventured to ask: "My lady, will you tell me of Lina's past?"

The queen looked at Curdie for a while, then nodded. "I have seen you wish to know it. Yes, Curdie, I will tell you."

"Take a seat," the queen said kindly, waving her hand towards a chair. Curdie moved to it and sat down, ready for the queen to begin.


	2. Lina Is Transformed

Now, the Queen Irene proceeded to tell Curdie of Lina's past. However, I will not tell you it in her exact words, though all will be told.

In a country far away from where Irene's king-papa ruled there was a girl named Lina. She was sixteen years of age when a most peculiar event which would change her entire life took place**.** Now, both Lina's parents had died when she was very young. She was taken in by a friend of her parent's, but ran away when she was eight. The rest of her life she lived in wickedness which does not need to be further explained, until that night when she was sixteen.

She was walking at night when she came upon a very old woman sitting on a rock by the roadside.

"Good evening!" the woman called in a feeble voice. Lina mumbled an ununderstandable reply and continued to walk on.

"What have you been doing?" the old woman asked. Lina felt her face grow hot, somehow feeling that if she answered truthfully the old woman would be disappointed. But what did it matter anyways?

"That's none of your business!" Lina snapped, and began walking faster.

"Will you help me get to my cottage?" the old lady asked.

"Get to it yourself!" Lina responded coldly, and continued to walk.

Suddenly a blinding light shown behind her. When she looked back she saw that it was coming from where the old lady had been sitting.

"What is this!?" Lina cried, shielding her eyes from the light. Suddenly, from the very center of the light a figure emerged. It was a woman, looking of about 25 years of age, tall and beautiful beyond describing. Her long hair flowed in the wind. The light seemed to be coming from her. With pity in her wise eyes she looked down at Lina.

"What is it you wish, Lady?" Lina asked fearfully.

"I wish, Lina, that you would have saved yourself from the fate that awaits you," the Lady replied, in a voice so powerful, and yet so gentle and kind at the same time, and something in that voice made Lina realize that this was the same old lady she had scorned moments ago.

This talk and this realization frightened Lina, so she replied as she usually did when she was frightened: with bitterness and scorn.

She forced herself to laugh, though it sounded weak and hollow before the lady. "You do not know of what you speak! What are you? An enchantress, that you pretend to know my fate?"

"Lina, you only make things worse." This truly made Lina shiver with real terror, yet she could not give in now.

"Be gone, witch!" she cried, trying to sound fierce, and only succeeding in sounding as terrified as she looked.

"Lina, you have become a beast within, so you shall be a beast without," the lady replied in a voice so terrible and still sad that Lina could make no harsh remark.

Then, suddenly, Lina felt a horrible pain in her hands. So terrible that she cried out, then realized with fear that it sounded more like a howl then a cry. She dropped to her hands and knees, and then, looking down at her hands, saw in horror that they were no longer human hands, but the paws of a dog. The grand lady looked on and wept as slowly, painfully, Lina, the once beautiful young girl, was transformed into a hideous beast.

When the transformation was over Lina lay still for a moment. Finally she stood to her feet, which, she realized, was all four, and walked, though to her it felt like crawling-what a horrible feeling!- over to a lazy stream that wound by the road. When she gazed in upon her reflection she set up a howl so mournful it would have sent a tear to many an eye. She turned to the lady to beg to change her back, but when she tried to speak all that came were horrible moans and whines.

"Lina, you are the first, though I fear many will follow you in becoming the creatures they truly are inside. One day, you may want me. When that day comes, do not hesitate to come to me. I will accept you when no one else will." With that the light vanished and in front of Lina stood the same old woman as before, though the same wisdom was in her eyes and the same kindness in her face. Then she turned away. Lina gazed at her reflection once more, and when she looked up the old woman was gone.

Downhearted, Lina wandered around all throughout the night. When the dawn came she found herself outside the house of the family who had taken her in when her parents died. The man of the house was just coming out of the door to begin the day's chores. Suddenly he caught sight of Lina. A look of terror sprung up in his face, then he brandished his hoe as if it were a spear.

"Get back!" he yelled at Lina. "Get away creature!"

To hear one who had been so kind to her in the past refer to her as 'creature' was too much for Lina, and she ran away and wept when she was out of view of the cottage. Her weeping was a horrible thing to hear, and it lasted several hours. When she felt she had no more tears left in her she got up and began to wander again. Everywhere she went she was met with terror and hatred.

Finally a group of villagers chased the 'monster' out of their village and into the hills. Lina understood that she could no more live where she had lived her whole life, among men, and wandered far away.

One day, she was extremely hungry, and saw a rabbit off in the bushes. Without giving a second thought she soon caught the rabbit and began to rip the flesh off of it. Then in horror she realized what she was doing, but continued to eat it, as she knew she had nothing else to do, and to her horror and amazement, it didn't taste that bad. And so, Lina began to hunt, and was excellent at it too. Soon it became a pleasure to do it.

Lina wandered far away from her home country until one day she came to an opening in a mountain side. It had begun to rain and, seeing no other shelter, she went into the mountain.


	3. Lina Meets the Goblins

Lina plunged into the darkness inside the mountain. She looked down at the floor to see where she was going and to her surprise her eyes let off two points of light, by which she could see in the gathering dark. She heard voices somewhere below her and wondered who would be talking in the mountain, and decided to go look without being seen.

She scrambled down long passageways, always heading towards the voices, not even taking care to be sure of her way back, thinking it didn't matter anyways. Finally she reached an opening and looked into a cavern where three people were talking. But no, they weren't people. Or if they were, they were very ugly people indeed! Or so Lina thought. But then she remembered she was also ugly. Curious, she lay down in the entrance and watched them talking.

"Look, mother!" the small one cried, and pointed straight to the entrance where Lina lay. "Can I keep it, please!?"

The second she realized the thing had seen her Lina was about to run, but upon its question of "Can I keep it?" Lina stopped. The two adult goblins, for that is what they were, of course, turned and looked at Lina, who stood in the doorway without moving.

"Uh," the father goblin snorted in disgust, "it looks like one of those _dogs_ the sun-people keep!"

"Somewhat, but dear, it is much more handsome, is it not? Not _completely_ like one of those things called 'dogs', is it?" the goblin's wife answered. "And I think it should be good for our dear little boy to keep an animal for himself."

"Hmmm..." the father inspected Lina and rubbed his chin. "Oh alright, keep it then, if you wish," he told the goblin child.

"Horray!" the child squealed delightedly, running to Lina. She shuddered the slightest bit when it threw its arms around her for its ugliness, but the shudder soon disappeared in the amazement of being accepted in the form she was in. She reasoned that, because these beings were what humans would consider ugly, and humans considered her ugly, they considered her handsome, as they must consider themselves.

So, Lina plodded along after her new master, happy to find someone who didn't mind the way she looked. It kept calling her _beast_, and, although the name was said in an affectionate manner, Lina wished she could tell the goblin child her real name. However, she simply accepted it, and in a few days Lina practically referred to herself as _beast_.

Years past. Lina could not keep track of them under the mountain, with no sun, no wind, no rain. In that continual darkness, penetrated only by the light from her own eyes and the torches of the goblins, Lina forgot all these things, the sun, wind, and the rain, forgot the entire world above her, and even forgot her true name and who she once was. She was, truly, a beast.

And then that fateful day arrived, many years after Lina first ventured into the mountain. She was awakened that morning by the sound of water and soon realized with terror that the mountain was flooding and she had to get out. She ran frantically around, trying to find some exit. Finally she did succeed in finding a tiny hole through which she crawled and came stumbling out into the crisp night air. Though she was a beast she was more clever than other animals so she had the sense to use a large stone to block the exit she had come through to prevent the water from coming out.

With this done Lina looked around her. This world above was so different than the mountain, and yet, it seemed familiar. After a little while a bright light shone from somewhere above her. She looked up and a little ways away she saw a large round globe, from which the light shone. It was that light that brought flooding back all the memories of being human. The creature howled mournfully but noone heard.

Suddenly a pigeon came down, seeming to come from the very center of the light itself. The bird flew around something on a hill a little ways away from Lina, then flew back to the light that it had come from. With that the globe vanished and Lina was left in the dimness of the night.

Lina sat on the hillside where she was for a time, then got up and began to walk. She did not know where she was going, but decided after she had gone a ways that she was going to find the globe of light, but somewhere in the very back of her mind she knew she was looking for something more. At length she came to the threshold of a large building, somewhat like a castle. Water was flowing out the door and circling around her legs. For a moment she hesitated and almost turned back, but a longing deep inside her kept her going. What this longing was she did not know, nor understand, nor even really perceive that it was there, but it made her continue on anyways.

She hadn't gone very many steps into the great house when a sudden rush of water washed over her, fully submerging her into its iciness. But she planted her feet firmly on the floor and stood up. Step by step she fought to overpower the water, which sometimes lifted her up off her feet and sometimes made her fall to the floor, or bashed her against the walls. She did not know where to go but simply wandered around, going whichever way the water permitted. Many times a goblin body would float past her but she tried to ignore them.

As she continued on the water became steadily deeper until only the top of her hideous head wasn't under the water. Finally she pushed off of the ground and began to swim. It went on for some time, swimming into the rooms she could get into, dodging goblin bodies, sometimes ducking under the water only to come back up again and continue on.

Finally Lina came to the bottom of a great and old staircase. Her feet found the stairs and soon she was up and out of the water. She decided there was no other way to go than up, so up she went. Mostly she just wandered around, thankful to be out of the water. Everything looked the same to her, so she simply went up stairs as she found them. Finally she found herself on a platform with three doors in front of her. She could here the water rising and feared she had come to a dead end.

Suddenly one of the doors swung open.

"Come in, Lina," a kind voice called.


	4. Lina and the Princess

Lina started. Her own name sounded strange in her ears, for she had not heard it for many years, and had forgotten it. She curiously looked in but stayed in the shadow of the door. The room was beautifully furnished, and hanging from the ceiling was the silver globe of light. At one end of the room sat an old and beautiful lady.

"Come in, Lina," the lady said again. How strange it was for Lina, having forgotten her own name, and now, in this strange place, to hear it pronounced so kindly! But she just couldn't go in.

"Lina," the lady said again, "did I not tell you that you would want me? And in that day to come to me, for I would accept you when others wouldn't?" With that the old woman stood up and suddenly she was the beautiful woman that Lina had seen the night she turned into a beast.

The beautiful lady put her hand kindly on Lina's back and led her into the room.

"Do not fear, Lina," the grand princess said comfortingly. "The water will not reach us up here."

Lina allowed the beautiful lady to lead her into the room, then stood awkwardly in the middle of the floor, not sure of what to do next. The princess took her seat again and looked over Lina. Her gaze was piercing, seeming to go straight through Lina, seeing all her many faults and her few good deeds.

"Give me your hand, Lina," the lady said after a pause. Lina did as she was told. The princess took the great paw and was silent a moment. Then she set it down.

"You are still a beast," she said sorrowfully. "Oh, Lina."

The princess gazed at the beast again, with so much sorrow in her look that it pierced straight through to the small section of Lina's heart that was still human, and in that moment Lina was so sorry for all the wrongs she had ever done that she wept and lay at the lady's feet in repentance.

She did not know how long she lay there, sorry and repenting, but after some time the princess reached down and touched her paw again. She smiled, satisfied, and looked down at Lina with love.

"You must stay here with me, Lina, but the time will come when you will be of service to another. Do not worry, for you are only a beast on the outside, now. I promise you, it will not be that way forever."

Lina stayed with the princess, serving her and loving her, looking forward to the day when she would no longer be a beast. And one night, the princess sent Lina outside, though she would not say why. And so, out she went, and in not too long she saw a boy walking along. She watched him, and saw that the housekeeper would not let him enter. So, she walked up behind him, and barred all her teeth at the housekeeper. When the woman left, shrieking, Lina walked over to the boy and lay her head down by his feet, for somehow she knew that this human was a friend of the lady. The boy dashed off into the house, and Lina followed, though he did not know it.

And so, Lina met Curdie, and was sent to serve him. Time and again she risked her own life for his, and before long they were the best of friends. And finally the day arrived when she would no longer be a beast.

Saying goodbye to Curdie in one look, Lina had disappeared into the fire of roses. It hurt her terribly, for a time, but after a few moments she found herself standing in a forest. She was human again! Before she leaped into the fire the princess had given her instructions. She was to stay in the forest the rest of her life, taking care of the other creatures there and keeping a watchful eye on the villains who had been taken there, tied to the backs of the creatures when they left Gwyntystorm. And Lina obeyed the instructions, sometimes being visited by the Queen Irene herself, and in the forest Lina spent the rest of her days, but she never forgot all that had happened to her.


	5. Don't Forget

Curdie did not speak for some time after the Queen finished her tale, he simply thought over all she had said.

"Then I'll never see her again?"

"No, Curdie, you will not."

"What if she forgets me?" he asked, worried.

"She will never forget you, Curdie. And you must never forget her. But do not be sad that she is gone. Be happy for her, for she is happy now."

Curdie nodded and looked into the roses. "Goodbye, Lina," he whispered. Then, wiping the tears from his eyes, he stood.

"Thank you, my lady, for burning Lina in your rose fire," he said with a slight smile.

The Queen smiled and nodded. And with that Curdie left, forgetting that he had come to ask her advice. He walked slowly down the stairs, and as if each stair brought a memory, he went down as slow as he could, remembering the times he shared with Lina, how he had not liked her at first, how she had risked her life to save him from many dangers, how she had remained faithful to him through everything, and how beautiful she was despite her ugliness. But she was not ugly now. Curdie thought to himself that he would give anything just to see her one more time, just to see her as she truly was. But he knew that he would not see her again. And yet, it did not seem to bother him so much now. He was happy for his old friend, and he knew that, although he would not see her, he would never forget her.


End file.
